Rating: 
Summary: Average - Expected More
Review: I received 'Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas' as a birthday present from a Tom Robbins fan. Having never read any of his works previously, and having heard friends extolling his brilliance, I began reading the novel with a great deal of expectation. Robbins places the reader in the role of a stockbroker called Gwen who finds herself in trouble after a market crash exposes her illegal dealings. She is a character that doesn't warrant much empathy as she is materialistic and selfish, and it's almost insulting that Robbins places you in her shoes through the second person. After approximately 50 pages (my cut-off point for any book that hasn't grabbed my attention) I came within a gnat's nose-hair of giving up. It was only with the introduction of the eccentric and somewhat vulgar Larry Diamond that my interest increased. Larry offers Gwen an alternative look at life, away from the capitalist, yuppie-broker lifestyle she is immersed in. Things become slightly wacky when a rampaging born-again monkey and a missing psychic enter the plot. The novel gets progressively better and although entertaining, is not the literary tour-de-force I expected. It appears from the other reviews below that his other novels are far better so I'll certainly give them a try.
Rating: 
Summary: An OK Book.... a bad Tom Robbins book.
Review: You have seen some of the other reviews of this novel and you have read and even identified with the responses of the most passionate of the reviewers. If this wasn't a book by Tom Robbins, you wouldn't want to read more than the first couple of pages. Out of respect for the author who has previously never failed to impress you, you have trudged (or will trudge) your way through it. When it is all said and done you must admit that for a Tom Robbins novel, this one is is at the bottom of the heap...
Rating: 
Summary: thought provoking
Review: of the four novel by tom robbins I've read, this is the most thought-provoking. what robbins does best is show the world from the view points of people -- and things -- you'd never even consider. mind expanding in the good sense of the word. this is what taking serious drugs must be like -- without the health hazards.
Rating:
Summary: half asleep...
Review: This is the fourth Tom Robbins book I've read, and even though I enjoyed it, _Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas_ is my least favorite so far (the best being _Still LIfe With Woodpecker_). One of the things I adore about Robbins is that it's wonderful fun to discover who his characters are going to be: in _Skinny Legs and All_ an anthropomorphised can of beans, dirty sock, and spoon are featured; in _Frog Pajamas_ we get to experience life with a 300 pound psychic, a former jewel thief monkey, and an unscrupulous, materialistic stockbroker after a market crash.One of the problems I had with this particular novel involved Gwen, the stockbroker. I just couldn't like her. I realize that her obsession with money and material objects was part of Robbins' point, but I just didn't enjoy reading almost 400 pages about someone I could not respect. I also found that as the book got closer to its conclusion, Robbins became more and more preachy (through the voice of Larry, the other main character). I know that it was necessary at that point for the reader to understand the theme of the novel (it happens with his other books as well), but Larry's explanations are pages long and I found myself skimming them. As with the other Robbins novels I've read, _Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas_ is extremely interesting and creative; the reader never has any idea what he will come up with next. In this case, the reader learns more about amphibians, Sirius A, B, and C, and rectal cancer than she would ever think possible. I still recommend this book, but if you've never read Tom Robbins before, don't start with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Tom Robbins--the Master of Metaphor
Review: ... I do believe that Tom Robbins' work is like strawberry ice cream; either you like it or you don't. Robbins has once again managed to juxtapose the most eccentric of characters, the strangest of personalities and somehow make them fit together. That's one thing I love about this author. His sense of sarcasm is unparalleled. But it isn't only sarcasm and dry humor for the sake of poking fun at life that makes this book worth reading. Tom Robbins uses these characters and their outrageous situations to teach, editorialize and explore life on all levels in a way that will make you laugh and cry about your own state of existence. The question I ask is "Do I take myself more seriously, or should I take myself less seriously?" This is a question Tom challenges me to look at. Take it with as many grains of salt as you wish, but be prepared to look at the world through the colored lenses of Mr. Robbins mind. I've had this book in my library since it was first published, and finally decided to read it. When I first purchased it, I read the first two chapters and put it down. It was harder to get into than the others. Although the first one-third has some trouble gaining momentum, stick with it. It gets better. The only trouble I had with it is that there seems to be too much happening for just a weekend in real time. But then again, if Mr. Robbins can convince me that a bulk of human knowledge was a gift from amphibians from space, I will let that one go. I've read most of his novels quite some time ago, my favorites being Jitterbug Perfume and Still Life with Woodpecker. I read them at a time in my life when I could have been one of the characters. Now that I've gotten older, I found that his work still intrigues me, and I am going to read some of these books again.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Great
Review: I don't know that I have a lot to say. I read this before reading any of the (obviously) very divided reviews here and I felt that I needed to add my own two cents. This is the very first Tom Robbins novel that I have read and I was blown away. I think this is a work of great literature that will be around for a long time (and maybe only widely appreciated long after Mr. Robbins passing). Regardless, I was moved enough by his unique style of writing (which includes a lot of stream of counciousness) and drawn in by the vast and intruguing subject matter that I, literally, could not put this book down until I finished it. I think it's really worth the read and you should decided for yourself. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: everyone¿s got a hard luck story
Review: I am wrapped in unfathomable disappointment, having just finished Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas. I don't know whether this is simply the worst novel Tom Robbins has written, or whether I grew up while waiting around for him to write another book. Perhaps the disappointment is not so much with Robbins, but with the realization that I might have really remained so naïve into my 20's as to accept these rambling philosophies at face value without seeing through the tired old agenda of attacking everything about the culture that produced me. It's like brutally exposing all of your own family's flaws without regard to the fact that the family across the street is no more hip and enlightened than your own....or worse, because Robbins does seem to acknowledge that other cultures are just as flawed, which leads him to either idolize fictional peoples from bygone eras or sink into full-blown misanthropy. It is ironic that a Google search for the title of this novel, with its central theme of "don't buy, get high", returns only websites selling the novel. No enlightened debates about the theme, no additional information about the factoids he cites, no search for truth and purpose. Just book sales. Nonetheless, I'm not an aging hippie so this is not central to my disappointment. I was with him until the last 15 pages, where I found myself saying out loud, "WHAT is she DOING?" Perhaps he thought the twist (or lack thereof) at the end was a brilliant device for subverting the reader's expectations and adding a skin of cynicism to the entire theme, but I felt cheated, made worse by the second person voice which insinuated insult as well. The reader is set up to believe this is a story about redemption. After all, the whole thing takes place during Easter weekend, what could be more obvious? And the "born-again" monkey? Or maybe it's just that Gwen is so immoral and exploitive that the reader can't imagine why she's worth reading about unless we are to witness her transformation. But, the monkey turns out not to be born-again after all, just the same old thief. And Gwen isn't born again either, she too remains the same old thief. And there's that second person again, pointing the finger directly at YOU as though to say, "dear reader, you are the Fool in this deck of cards". I don't know what Seattle is like, but I can't imagine where Robbins would get the idea that most of us are self-centered and materialistic, much less incapable of change. Indeed, it is the very transformations that come with age that lead many of his most loyal readers, and I count myself among them, to become disillusioned with his shallow lecturing and formulaic plots. Would it have been too predictable to have his characters change, become better? Perhaps. But it all seems pointless if they don't. Like a hippy who never grows up. Still, for all that, I love Robbin's quirkiness, his sense of humor, and his masterful command of language. Only he could delight me with descriptions of Peptol Bismal as the color of "Flamingo diarrhea". There is no other novelist who makes me pause, reread sentences, and spend a moment just reveling in the language. I also enjoyed the way he managed to articulate for me the real reasons why I'm so annoyed by new age goddess worship (kudos to Q-jo on that one). And just when you think Robbins is shoving stereotypically leftie propaganda down your throat, he comes out of left field with the perspective that to pity and cater to the homeless is to denigrate them further by denying them the power of their own choices. I certainly didn't expect a lecture on personal responsibility, but he did make me think. Too bad this was the only page in the entire novel that did. I agree with the other reviewers, don't choose this book as your first Tom Robbins novel, and skip it entirely unless you're a huge fan (and even then keep your expectations low). I disagree, however, with reviewers who imply that Tom Robbins is the only alternative to John Grisham or Oprah recommendations; on the contrary, Robbins is no less "pop" as novelists go, and such thinking betrays a serious underestimation of the rich book choices for anyone who cares to look beyond the new releases. Robbins normally blends the most creative and unlikely characters to form an intriguing story, but in this case what's so weird about a fat psychic? Is there any other kind? A greedy stockbroker? That's cliché, not creative. A presumptuous, pretentious anti-establishment 'shroom eater? I've met him (and her) lots of times, and he's never struck me as particularly insightful. A straight-laced Lutheran real estate agent? Am I supposed to think he's wacky just because he owns a monkey? Please. The characters are no more creative than the tired theme trotted out from past novels. You want quirky? Try "The Baron in the Trees" by Calvino. And I just can't get over my hatred for Gwen, from the shoddy treatment of her father to her exploitation of her devoted boyfriend to endangerment of the poor monkey, all of it growing progressively worse in the last pages and all for no good reason other than to force me to walk in the shoes of someone devoid of any redeeming quality other than her looks and her pitiful need for security after her unstable childhood. But, everyone's got a hard luck story.
Rating:
Summary: don't compair, just read
Review: If you like all of the other books by T.R. and you like them to the point of idolizing him you will not like this book. On the other hand if you like an interesting story with alot of crazy facts and even crazier ideas you will love this. I've read it and listened (on tape) it at least eight times.
Rating:
Summary: Stuck
Review: I have read all seven of Robbins' other novels, and loved them all, in varying degrees. In fact, I've re-read most of them multiple times! Unfortunately, I have yet to plow my way through HAiFP. I've started it several times, and just haven't been able to force myself to finish it. If this is your first Robbins' novel you might actually enjoy it...if you've read everything else, give it a try...if there are others you haven't read yet, leave this one for last.
Rating:
Summary: I love all Tom's books... Except this one!
Review: I love all Tom's books... Except this one! Avoid at all costs.
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